We had the privilege of hosting work experience student, Giselle, a few weeks ago. While she was with us, she got the chance to meet and interview Morris Gleitzman, one of her favourite authors. This is her account of the experience.

We’re so proud of how well Giselle did during her time in the office with us and we’re truly blown away by the quality of her writing.

They say never meet your heroes.
They couldn’t be more wrong.

It was a cold Melbourne Wednesday when I had the utter privilege of meeting my hero, Morris Gleitzman. As a young work experience student, it’s safe to say I was, in equal amounts, absolutely excited and absolutely terrified. But Morris did not disappoint and I came away with so much more knowledge and respect for his work and all that has gone into creating it.

Without a doubt, Morris Gleitzman is one of the best Australian children’s authors we’ve seen in a long while, so it’s no surprise that I jumped at any chance I could get to talk about the work behind the colourful and moving books we see on the shelves.

With over 40 books to his name (44 to be precise), whether you’re reading Once or Toad Rage, Gleitzman excels at varying his tone and ideas to fit the text and keep his readers engaged—even his website was riveting. There’s always that special something in his work. You can always tell it’s a Gleitzman book when you pick it up.

It’s this unique authorial voice—something increasingly rare in modern day—that I really wanted to know more about. How did he develop it? How does he maintain it across all his texts and what inspired and shaped it?

When asked, Gleitzman was more than happy to share his tricks. Gleitzman’s unique voices are developed by the characters in his stories. He writes based on what the character—no matter if they’re a young boy, girl or even a bird—knows and how they act. His ideas and views take a step back and allow the characters to take center stage. It’s this mix of wise and mature values and wisecracking young characters that form the Gleitzman way of writing.

But how is it that these books originate? Does Gleitzman draw from personal experience and the world around him? Does he first develop in-depth characters? Do the plots simply spring fully-formed into his mind?

Turns out, it’s a combination of all of the above. Some books start as a character, some as a theme and some as a real life issue. Arguably Gleitzman’s most famous text, Once, started as a story of friendship. From this simple idea, Morris built an elaborate world and deep characters, and before long we had the heartbreaking book we all know and love.

To put it simply, Gleitzman focuses on telling a character’s biggest issue. Whether he begins with the character and then discovers their issue, or starts with the issue and finds the characters along the way.

It’s no secret that any aspiring author or writing enthusiast could talk to Morris for days and still have so much more to learn about the writing process and literary world. But if I learned one thing during my time with Morris, it’s that beyond his incredible writing, Morris is an even more phenomenal person.

When asked what Morris loves most about writing and why he continues it, Morris described the way that he loved the impact he had on young people. He elaborated that his stories (though no doubt enjoyable for all ages) are targeted towards one of the most crucial ages in our lives. Youth is when we learn right from wrong, and the idea that his texts can help shape that view, shape the very way see the world is pretty powerful.

With the interview drawing to a close, I had just enough time for one last question. What’s the most valuable thing you learned being an author that anyone trying to become something similar to you should know?

And Morris’s reply?

“Don’t ever think your dreams about your future possibilities are so far from what could happen.”

Don’t ever think you don’t have what it takes.

Believe in yourself.

And with that, I had to thank Morris Gleitzman for being so generous with his time and let him get back to whatever it is that famous authors do with their spare time (probably writing or reading or drinking tea).

by Giselle Leonard